The Liberal Democrats met in Brighton for their autumn conference, the first of the established parties to hold theirs this year.
The main policy announcement was a tax cut. The party would raise the tax-free personal allowance from £12,570 to £15,000, taking 2.5 million of the lowest-paid workers out of income tax, and lift the higher-rate threshold to £56,000. Davey said most taxpayers would get a £680 tax cut. The party says this would be paid for by the growth it expects from rejoining the EU single market and customs union, which reinforces its pro-European identity.
Reform UK has made a similar pledge, and Davey used this to draw a sharp contrast. He argued that Reform’s own figures show it would fund the cut by removing £22 billion of support for disabled people.
Much of the speech focused on far-right marches in Dover and Portsmouth, with Davey warning the party was in “the fight of our lives”. He also argued that Britain is being held back by a broken political system that rewards corruption.
Elsewhere, members voted to reject the EHRC’s guidance on single-sex spaces as “discriminatory and unworkable”, with Davey saying he supported the motion.
The focus now shifts to Liverpool, where Labour began their conference on Sunday.